On Sun, Aug 19, 2018 at 11:37:59PM +0200, Andrei Rybak wrote: > On 19/08/18 22:32, Jeff King wrote: > > On Sun, Aug 19, 2018 at 07:50:42PM +0200, Andrei Rybak wrote: > > > >> 1. Check both files at the same time (combination with Gábor's > >> function): > >> > >> test_cmp () { > >> if test "$1" != - && > >> test "$2" != - && > >> ! test -s "$1" && > >> ! test -s "$2" > >> then > >> error "bug in test script: using test_cmp to check empty file; use test_must_be_empty instead" > >> fi > >> test_cmp_allow_empty "$@" > >> } > >> > >> This will still be reporting to the developer clearly, but > >> will only catch cases exactly like the bogus test in t5310. > > > > Doesn't that have the opposite issue? If we expect non-empty output but > > the command produces empty output, we'd say "bug in the test script". > > But that is not true at all; it's a failed test. > > No. Only when both "$1" and "$2" are empty files will the function above > report "bug in test script". From patch's commit message: Oh, you're right. Somewhere between the screen and my brain the "&&" became an "||". I agree that works, and has the advantage that the arguments are treated symmetrically. We _might_ say "test failure" instead of "bug in test" when the expectation is empty and the generated output is not (because we do not know which is which), but I think that would be uncommon (and the most important thing is that we do not silently consider it a pass). > > If we assume that "expect" is first (which is our convention but not > > necessarily guaranteed), then I think the best logic is something like: > > > > if $1 is empty; then > > bug in the test script > > elif test_cmp_allow_empty "$@" > > test failure > > > > We do not need to check $2 at all. An empty one is either irrelevant (if > > the expectation is empty), or a test failure (because it would not match > > the non-empty $1). > > ... this is indeed a better solution. I written out the cases for > updated test_cmp to straighten out my thinking: I'd be OK pursuing either this line, or what you showed originally. -Peff